West Ham welcome back Robert Green

Robert Green will be back to boost West Ham's npower Championship promotion bid against Crystal Palace tomorrow after the club won their appeal over his midweek dismissal.

Despite Green's sending off the Hammers soared to the summit with a 4-1 win at Blackpool and boss Allardyce believed it was a performance that underlined his side's fighting spirit.

Allardyce told the Hammers' official website: "We're doing it the hard way. Every player is doing his bit when we get something going against us and we seem to find the resilience and ability and skill to overcome it."

Second-placed Southampton travel to Watford with defender Danny Butterfield - likely to be back in contention after injury - insisting his own side have a team spirit to match that of their promotion rivals.

Butterfield told saintsfc.co.uk: "The togetherness and team spirit certainly plays a big part. We have got different characters but we've got a togetherness in that dressing room which is going to get us to where we want to be."

Neil Warnock's first game in charge of Leeds sees him take his side to Fratton Park to face Portsmouth, who have plunged into the bottom three after having 10 points deducted for going into administration.

And Warnock, who watched his new side's come-from-behind win over Doncaster last week from the stands, has not ruled out the possibility of remaining at Elland Road for the long-term.

Warnock said: "I'm prepared to give it my best shot and if I feel I can bring the success that Leeds want then I'm prepared to stay and have a go next year. If I don't feel like that I'm sure we'll part on good terms."

Pompey boss Michael Appleton only has concerns for this campaign but with Pompey now three points off safety he insisted: "One thing I can guarantee is that the players will give absolutely everything until the final whistle of the final game."

Birmingham and Reading will both look to take advantage of Cardiff's Carling Cup final engagement and boost their automatic promotion hopes at home to Nottingham Forest and away to Middlesbrough respectively.

Brighton hope to boost their play-off prospects at home to Ipswich while Ian Holloway's Blackpool must get their midweek thrashing by the Hammers out of their system as they travel to Bristol City.

At the bottom, Doncaster meet Peterborough, Coventry face Barnsley and Millwall can put clear air between themselves and the drop zone if they take any points out of their trip to Burnley.